When working out, the music you listen to can have a huge impact on your performance and mood.
The right soundtrack can help to motivate you to push yourself harder when exercising – but what are the best songs to listen to?
The new research from Sigma Sports analysed thousands of “spinning”, “indoor cycling” and “turbo training” playlists to find out the best and most popular songs or artists to listen to when hitting the pedals.
The research revealed that Blinding Lights by The Weeknd is the most popular indoor cycling song, appearing on 270 playlists.
Meanwhile Shut Up and Dance by WALK THE MOON is the most popular speedy song, appearing on 142 playlists designed to boost your tempo.
The most popular cycling songs
Rank | Song | Artist | Number of playlist appearances |
1 | Blinding Lights | The Weeknd | 270 |
2 | Thunderstruck | AC/DC | 190 |
3 | The Business | Tiesto | 175 |
4 | STAY feat. Justin Bieber | The Kid LAROI | 160 |
5 | Sandstorm | Darude | 153 |
6 | Roses | Imanbek Remix | 144 |
7 | Bad Habits | Ed Sheeran | 129 |
8 | Friday feat. Mufasa & Hypeman (Dopamine Re-Edit) | Riton | 126 |
9 | Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) | Elton John | 122 |
10 | Head and Heart feat. MNEK | Joel Corry | 121 |
10 | Highway to Hell | AC/DC | 121 |
10 | Your Love (9PM) | ATN | 121 |
- Topping the list of the most popular cycling songs is Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, featuring on 270 of the spinning playlists we analysed. This arguably comes as no surprise considering the song is the second most streamed song on Spotify of all time, with almost 3 billion streams on the platform.
- Rock band AC/DC are the most popular artist when it comes to cycling songs, with two of their songs featuring in our top 10 ranking and the band appearing on 413 indoor cycling playlists overall.
The most popular speedy cycling songs
Rank | Song | Artist | Number of playlist appearances |
1 | Shut Up and Dance | WALK THE MOON | 142 |
2 | Timber feat. Ke$sha | Pitbull | 130 |
3 | Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) | Eurythmics | 111 |
4 | One Kiss feat. Dua Lipa | Calvin Harris | 109 |
5 | Give Me Everything feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer | Pitbull | 108 |
6 | Shape of You – Workout Remix 135 BPM | Workout Music TV | 105 |
7 | Don’t Stop the Music | Rihanna | 104 |
8 | Dynamite | Taio Cruz | 101 |
9 | Raise Your Glass | P!nk | 100 |
10 | I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) | Whitney Houston | 95 |
- American band WALK THE MOON top the list for the most popular speedy cycling song, with their track Shut Up and Dance featuring on 142 playlists designed to increase your tempo and heart rate.
- In terms of the best speedy artists, it is Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris that takes the crown, appearing on 495 high tempo playlists.